Posted 12 May 2020 - 17:31

Nurses are not heroes, but expert professionals, England's chief nursing officer Ruth May has said during a ceremony marking International Nurses Day on 12 May.

Laud us as professionals not heroes, says England's chief nurse

Speaking at St Thomas' Hospital in London, where Florence Nightingale established her nursing school 160 years ago, Ms May said that while support from the public was welcome during the COVID-19 crisis, some misconceptions remained.

‘There are still concerns about PPE and access to equipment across all our settings – not just in hospitals, but in care homes, hospices, community district nurse settings and mental health teams.'

His comments follow criticism the government has faced over the supply of PPE during the pandemic.

Government should consider the impact of its decisions on nurses

Mr Adams said he recognised that changes have been made to try and improve the situation over the past three weeks, but said that that there is equipment being delivered that is not fit for purpose.

He added that there should have been pandemic planning in place, including a stockpile of PPE for when it was needed.

When asked what the government could now do for nurses in the pandemic, Mr Adams said it should consider the impact of decisions it made on nurses, from easing lockdown and PPE access to future pay arrangements.

Pandemic will inspire people to pursue nursing as a career, says NHS England chief

In a nod to International Nurses Day, NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens thanked nurses for all they had done during the global pandemic and said the legacy of COVID-19 should be that more people were inspired to enter the profession.

Simon Stevens

‘This is an opportunity not just to thank our current nurses but also to invite bright and brilliant and committed people across the country to consider nursing as a career,' he said.

‘We hope the next generation will see the professionalism exhibited by nursing staff during this crisis and want to join us,’ she said.

But Professor Kinnair also highlighted the 40,000 nursing vacancies in England before the pandemic as evidence that more support was needed for those wishing to study nursing.

‘That is why we are calling for full tuition fee support and maintenance grants which cover the true cost of living for all nursing students in England for those studying now and in the future,’ she said.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for a response to Mr Adams' concerns.